


Not A Conventional Omega

by Thunderfire69



Series: The IronStrange den [36]
Category: Doctor Strange - Fandom, Iron Man - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers
Genre: A/B/O, Alpha Natasha Romanov, Alpha Stephen Strange, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Beta Bruce Banner, Beta Thor, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Sex, IronStrange, I’m sorry I just needed someone to be a bit of a dick to Tony in a couple of scenes bc plot, Light Angst, M/M, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Oblivious Stephen Strange, Omega Bucky Barnes, Omega Clint Barton, Omega Tony Stark, Omegaverse, Poison, StrangeIron, and I used Cap bc I’m still salty over Civil War, and I’m so obviously team Tony, injuries, oblivious idiots, really this man is so oblivious I can’t even, stab wounds, well really it’s more of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 19:12:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19026163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderfire69/pseuds/Thunderfire69
Summary: He wasn’t your conventional omega.For starters, the whole world knew his name. He was a hero. He was viewed as strong, and had the qualities of an alpha, not just in the eyes of the public but in the eyes of his friends and family too.-OR-Tony is an omega. He’s unbonded.Stephen is an alpha. He’s unbonded, too.This causes some problems for Tony- especially around his heat week.Even more so because he despises the sorcerer with every particle and atom of his being.





	Not A Conventional Omega

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say? I’m such a slut for omegaverse fics. I can’t write smut to save my life but I still wanted to write omegaverse so here you go, y’all get this.

He wasn’t your conventional omega.

 

For starters, the whole world knew his name. He was a hero. He was viewed as strong, and had the qualities of an alpha, not just in the eyes of the public but in the eyes of his friends and family too.

 

In fact, barely anyone knew he  _ was  _ an omega. The general public tended to just assume Tony was an alpha, and since Pepper, their relationship and their amicable split, his playboy tendencies had ended, meaning most didn’t even think about it anymore. 

 

It wasn’t that no one knew he slept with only alphas; it was that Tony paid them out to make sure they didn’t say a word about him being an omega. This led to people believing he slept with alphas because  _ he  _ was an alpha, and didn’t want to risk impregnating an omega after a single night. No one guessed it could be because he was an omega.

 

It was only recently that he’d begun to notice how badly being an unbonded omega was affecting him. He’d grown used to being bonded with Pepper, and surgically severing that bond after they split had been painful at best. He’d completely forgotten how to control his impulses around alphas, especially during heat week.

 

This wouldn’t be a problem except that there was a single, unbonded alpha around the Compound. Worse was the fact that Tony completely and utterly loathed him.

 

This alpha was none other than Stephen Strange. He was arrogant at best, strutting around as if he was better than all of them, and, whenever it was heat week, it drove Tony mad. It made him jealous, on more than one occasion, not only of the bonded pairs in the Compound but also of the betas.

 

By the end of his heat week, he was completely and utterly done with everyone. He was wandering around the Compound cursing all the other Avengers’ names under his breath, pointedly ignoring and avoiding Stephen Strange.

 

“Stupid Steve and his stupid omega Bucky and stupid Thor and stupid Bruce and their stupid beta bodies and-”

 

“Having a good time there?” came a dry, familiar voice. Tony’s gaze whipped up to settle on Stephen, and his lip curled up in a snarl.

 

“You  _ think  _ the end of heat week is a good time for me?” he spat angrily, and Stephen raised his hands in surrender.

 

“I was going to tell you Steve wants to do a training battle today but-”

 

“I’m not doing a fucking battle a day out of heat week,.” Tony said pointedly, folding his arms over his chest.

 

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Stephen replied. “It was Steve’s idea. He specifically asked for you.”

 

“And he sent the  _ only  _ unbonded alpha to tell me this? Yeah, right.”

 

Stephen let out a sigh. “If he rips me limb from limb for leaving you behind, then it’s your fault.”

 

“Everything’s my fault when it comes to you,” Tony growled, and Stephen curled his lip into a frown, he flipped Tony off before he portaled out of the room. The omega slumped against a wall with a heavy sigh, exhaustion tugging at every aspect of his being.

 

Heat week was much, much tougher without an alpha. Worse with Stephen hovering around the Compound so much.

 

“Tough week?” came a more welcome voice; the voice of Bruce Banner, his best friend and probably the only person in the entire Compound Tony could stand talking to after heat week. He looked up, giving his fellow scientist a strained smile.

 

“Always is after heat week,” he replied. Bruce winced sympathetically, sitting down beside Tony.

 

“Sometimes I’m really glad I’m a beta, and asexual.”

 

“God, being a beta sounds  _ great  _ right about now,” Tony said with a groan. “I hate heat week.”

 

“I’m guessing it’s worse with Stephen around?”

 

“He’s unbonded, and so am I. Which is…hard, at best.” Tony let out a sigh. “Worse still because some days I want to plunge a knife into his guts and others I just want to-”

 

“I don’t need to hear-”

 

“-share my entire world with him, is what I was going to say,” Tony finished with a glare at Bruce.

 

“You were  _ not  _ going to say that originally,” Bruce said accusingly, and Tony raised his hands in surrender.

 

“Okay, okay, I wasn’t,” he agreed. “I was going to say that some days I just really want to-”

 

“ _ Tony!” _ Bruce put his hands over his ears dramatically.

 

“-kiss him until my lips turn blue.”

 

“Tony,  _ stop it _ .”

 

Tony stuck his tongue out playfully at Bruce. “Nah, you love me.”

 

“I’ll reconsider my platonic affections about your person if you keep this up.”

 

“No, you wouldn’t,” Tony argued, and before Bruce could say anything more, a fizzling, golden portal opened up and through stepped the entire Avengers team.

 

“Having fun missing our practice battle?” Steve asked, sounding annoyed, crossing his arms in his disapproving way. 

 

“Very much,” Tony said. “Especially since I just got out of heat week and can’t even lift a tissue.”

 

Steve didn’t seem swayed, but Thor seemed to soften slightly. Bucky looked sympathetic, a fellow omega who knew exactly how he felt; Natasha looked slightly guilty, like as if the headstrong alpha had tried to force him into practice herself; Clint just stared at the ground, the omega knowing too how hard heat week was. 

 

“Let friend Tony rest,” Thor announced loudly. “He can join us tomorrow.”

 

“Thanks, Thor,” Tony said quietly, and he didn’t fail to notice how proud Bruce looked of his godly boyfriend.

 

“We need to train together if we’re ever going to stand a chance of defeating inter-dimensional threats,” Steve argued. Bucky looked as if he might argue with his alpha, but Stephen stepped forward and, to Tony’s surprise, beat him to it.

 

“Lay off, Cap. He’s just gotten through heat week. We don’t force you and Bucky to join in training after Bucky’s heat.”

 

“I don’t need you to defend me, Strange,” Tony hissed at the alpha, getting to his feet. 

 

“Oh, calm down, Stark. I’m just trying to help you.”

 

“Since when have you  _ ever  _ tried to help me? Just you being in the same  _ room  _ as me is a problem!” The words came tumbling from his mouth before he could stop them, but Stephen merely raised an eyebrow.

 

“This is about me being an unbonded alpha.” It was a statement, not a question, and Tony just glared at Stephen, lip curled in a snarl.

 

“Perhaps…some privacy for them?” Thor suggested hesitantly, and jumped as a portal snapped open beside him, leading back to the training area.

 

“Yes. Privacy. To discuss this.” Stephen was staring at Tony with an equal amount of anger, though there was something else in his gaze. It looked like… intrigue? Interest? Tony wasn’t sure, but it was something akin to curiosity.

 

The Avengers silently filed out, Natasha sending Tony a sympathetic glance, Clint shuffling out with his head down, Bruce patting Tony on the shoulder as he passed, Thor nodding at him, Bucky giving him a knowing look and Steve shooting him a glare.

 

“We don’t have anything to discuss,” Tony hissed the moment the portal closed, but Stephen ignored him, placing a hand under Tony’s chin and turning his face to the left, then the right, as if examining him.

 

“Unbonded. As I thought.”

 

Tony growled, slapping Stephen’s hand away from under his chin. “You think I’d be suffering through heat week alone if I was bonded?”

 

“No, I just thought that you and Pe-”

 

“I’m an unbonded omega, end of discussion,” Tony snarled, beginning to walk off but Stephen stepped into his path.

 

“And I’m an unbonded alpha.”

 

“Yes, we’ve established that.” Tony sidestepped Stephen to reach the door. “And you need to keep away from me.”

 

“Stark-” the sorcerer began, but Tony was already shutting the door behind him.

  
  


“To your left!” 

 

Tony narrowly dodged the incoming blow, and grinned in the general direction of Steve, despite the fact that he was wearing his suit. “Thanks, Cap.”

 

“Didn’t want to see you pulverized,” Steve replied via comms. “Thor, some stormy weather would be nice right now.”

 

“I’m trying!”

 

“Tony, how about some cover fire?”

 

“You got it,” he replied, swooping in to shoot at the mutant they were facing. Steve and Natasha took this chance to dart in and get in some good hits before darting out; Tony narrowly avoided another blow from the mutant, who kept sending bursts of fire in his direction.

 

“Tony! Right!”

 

His head turned to spot the fire arcing towards him, but he knew he didn’t have a chance to move. Time slowed, and then suddenly a golden, glowing shield was deflecting the fire, sending it shooting back in the direction of the mutant. Tony glared at the person responsible for the shield, none other than Stephen Strange.

 

“No no, don’t thank me for saving your pathetic life,” Stephen yelled at him, before winking and portalling himself into the thick of the fight.

 

Tony just let out a low snarl of anger, ignoring the inkling of heat pooling in his gut. He refused to let this- this  _ idiotic _ ,  _ arrogant _ alpha trigger his heat a few days early. 

 

He was distracted from his thoughts as Thor shot lightning down at the mutant, and he darted in to blast it again. Then Stephen was at his side, combining his magic with Tony’s blasts, supercharging their blows. 

 

They slowly drove the mutant back until it collapsed, knocked out cold. As the other Avengers handled getting the mutant to people who could contain it, Tony flicked  his mask up and scowled at Stephen.

 

“I didn’t need your help.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Stephen replied with another wink. 

 

“I had that handled,” Tony snarled, trying to fight back the heat that was pooling in his gut again.

 

“Sure you did,” Stephen said, rolling his eyes before portalling away. 

 

Tony went into heat that night.

  
  
  


“You need an alpha.” 

 

Tony nearly spat out his coffee at Stephen’s words. “I do not!”

 

Stephen gave him a pointed stare. “You barely struggle through heat week. You’ll end up with heat sickness if you keep this up.”

 

“I am  _ perfectly fine _ ,” Tony retorted, taking another mouthful of coffee.

 

“If by “fine” you mean you go into heat early due to me saving your pathetic life, then sure.” Stephen let out a small laugh as Tony actually spat out his coffee. “Don’t think I don’t know when your heat cycle is. I’ve worked with you for long enough now.”

 

“Alright, you got me there,” Tony replied, raising his hands in surrender. “But I don’t  _ need  _ an alpha. And even if I  _ did _ , there’re no good, unbonded alphas around.”

 

Tony was sure he imagined the hurt expression that flickered onto Stephen’s face for a second. Then the sorcerer was leaning forward, into Tony’s personal bubble, and he was taking the mug from Tony’s hands and placing it onto the kitchen bench behind him. Tony let out the smallest growl of frustration at the heat pooling in his gut again; he was only halfway through heat week, and by the smirk on Stephen’s face, he knew this well.

 

“Maybe not,” Stephen said, voice lower than it had been before. “But maybe you don’t  _ need _ a good, unbonded alpha. Maybe you need a  _ bad _ , unbonded alpha.”

 

Tony’s eyes narrowed at Stephen, the heat in his gut curling and spiking. “This doesn’t make us friends.”

 

Stephen let out a small, cat-like purr, his hand sliding under Tony’s chin to lift his head. “Of course not.”

 

When their lips connected, Tony found himself pressing closer to the sorcerer. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel even an inkling of promise here, in this moment, with Stephen, but he’d also be lying if he said he didn’t try to tamper it down and suppress it.

  
  


Tony’s heat week ended, the second half of it so much easier than the first few days had been. He had to admit, rather grudgingly, that Stephen was right, and that he  _ had  _ helped with Tony’s heat.

 

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it, even just a little. 

 

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t plan on remembering those days for the rest of his life.

 

He’d be lying if he wasn’t replaying the moments in his mind, after the sex, where Stephen had nuzzled into his neck and murmured praise against Tony’s skin. Repeating over and over how good of an omega he was, how attractive, amazing  _ Tony  _ was.

 

It was something he’d never really experienced, affection in any form, not even with Pepper. So to hear it coming from the sorcerer, the man he constantly argued and fought with and had despised from the moment he laid eyes on him had caught him off guard.

 

He hadn’t taken Stephen to be the affectionate type during, or immediately after sex. And he certainly hadn’t been expecting it in reference to  _ him _ , Tony Stark, his rival.

 

He contemplated all this as he drank his morning coffee, staring out the window across New York City. He wondered if Stephen’s offer would stay the same for his next heat, or if it was just for the heat he’d just gone through. He couldn’t help but hope it would apply to his next heat, too.

 

There was a fizzling noise from beside Tony, and he turned in time to see Stephen stepping through a golden portal. He’d still been asleep when Tony had got up, and something in him hadn’t wanted to disturb the sorcerer, so he’d left him.

 

“Morning,” Stephen said sleepily, taking a step towards Tony and leaning forward slightly before stopping himself. For a moment, it had looked like he was going to press a kiss to Tony’s cheek.

 

“Morning,” Tony replied, with an equal amount of tiredness in his tone.

 

“Made it through heat week.”

 

“Yeah.” Tony stared down into his coffee. “Thanks for what you did. I would have been fine without you, but… thanks.”

 

Stephen let out a small huff. “Even when I’m so obviously right, you can’t admit that you’re wrong. Typical Tony.”

 

“Questioning the  _ real  _ genius to feel more in control. Typical alpha.”

 

“Finally getting along, are we?” 

 

Tony turned to spot the source of the voice; Steve, who was standing in the doorway  leaning against the frame.

 

“No, he’s still arguing with me,” Tony replied, and Steve let out the smallest of laughs.

 

“No surprise there.” Steve’s gaze dropped. “I came to apologize for trying to force you into training after you’d just gotten through your heat.”

 

Tony gave him a smile. “That’s okay. You’re just a little bit of an ignorant alpha sometimes. Only took you a month to come to.”

 

Steve looked like he was about to protest, but a low growl from Stephen made him shut his mouth. He glanced back and forth between the two for a moment, then realization seemed to hit.

 

“You!” He pointed at Stephen accusingly, then at Tony. “And you! You’re… together!”

 

“Not exactly,” Tony began to try to protest, but Steve had turned back to Stephen.

 

“You were  _ not  _ ‘studying ancient texts’ you lying bastard!”

 

“We’re not together, Steve,” Tony cut in loudly, ignoring the hurt that flashed across Stephen’s face at this. “He just helped me through the heat week.”

 

Steve glanced between them. “Okay, you guys are super weird.”

 

Tony gestured to the bonding glands on his neck. “Still unbonded, Steve.”

 

Stephen gestured to his bonding glands, which were also still whole. “Same over here.”

 

Steve looked back and forth between them for a moment. “I- I will  _ never  _ understand you guys.”

 

“No need for you to,” Tony replied with a small shrug. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some rest after heat week. Maybe I’ll binge a show.”

 

Steve turned to leave with a dramatic roll of his eyes. “Bye, Tony. Goodbye, Stephen.”

 

“Of course  _ you  _ get a  _ good _ bye,” Tony said dramatically to Stephen, and the sorcerer smiled slightly.

 

“I’ll let you get some rest,” Stephen said, opening a portal to the Sanctum.

 

It was only after he’d stepped through and the portal had snapped closed behind him that Tony wished he’d asked him to stay.

  
  


Two weeks on from his heat, and Tony had barely even seen Stephen. Apart from the training battles Steve demanded they take part in, and occasionally spotting him around the Compound, it was as if the sorcerer didn’t exist at all.

 

He found himself missing those moments during his heat week, and not just the sex; more than anything he found he was missing Stephen curled up next to him, face pressed into his neck as he whispered all the things he liked about Tony. 

 

It was odd, to say the least, since Tony had always, always despised Stephen. He was his enemy, his rival, in so many ways, and yet here he was, longing for even a glimpse of him, to even exchange a minute of banter.

 

There it was again. Since when did he think of their arguments as  _ banter _ ? And since when did he  _ want  _ to fight with Strange?

He shook his head to clear it, forcing himself to focus back on the upgrades he’d been making to his suits. Before he could even pick up another tool, though, there was a fizzling sound beside him. Tony glanced over in wonder as Stephen stepped through a portal, a pile of books in his arms.

 

He stared as the sorcerer didn’t even spare a glance in Tony’s direction, instead just immediately making his way over to a corner of the lab, and seating himself in a chair that Tony had forgotten was even there. He opened the first of his books, and began to read.

 

That was where he stayed until Tony left the lab, hours later.

  
  


“Got a plan here, Cap?”

 

“Don’t get killed.”

 

Tony rolled his eyes under his helmet, dodging an axe that was thrown in his direction. “Already got that.”

 

“Work with the sorcerer, Tony,” came the voice of Bruce via comms. “Your power combined is stronger. You can defend each other; watch each other’s six.”

 

“But-” Tony began to protest, despite everything in him screaming to watch Stephen’s back and make sure the sorcerer made it out of this battle unscathed.

 

“He’s right, Tony. My magic combined with your repulsor blasts…” Stephen’s voice came through the comms, and suddenly the sorcerer was portalling to Tony’s side.

 

The criminals down below didn’t seem phased by their team-up, confident in the high-tech armor and weapons they carried with them. Tony let out a small sigh as he turned to Stephen.

 

“Okay, let’s do this thing, then.”

 

A small grin flickered onto Stephen’s face before he seemed to wrestle it off. “Concentrate your repulsors at the leader. I’ll combine my spells with your tech to up the power.”

 

Tony nodded. “I’m trusting you not to fry the circuits in my armor.”

 

“Why would I do that?” Stephen asked innocently.

 

“To send me tumbling to my death?”

 

“Ah, but then who would-”

 

“Guys! A little help!” Natasha was getting tossed around by their foes like a toy, and Tony shook his head to clear it before focusing his repulsors at the leader of the criminals.

 

He powered them up, and fired, a continuous, powerful stream of pure firepower. Then he felt something, akin to electricity, crackle through his suit’s systems, swirling around him and fusing with the core of his power. It connected to the beams coming from his hands, turning the stream of blue light swirling colors of gold and red. He glanced briefly over to spot Stephen looking very intense and focused as he cast some sort of spell, the same spell flowing through Tony’s suit.

 

Then the leader seemed to have enough. With a roar of anger, he activated some sort of jet pack, shooting up into the sky to barrel into Tony. Before Tony could even react, a punch had been thrown against his skull, jarringly hard and painful considering he was still wearing his helmet.

 

“Tony!” Stephen’s voice sounded far away as Tony sluggishly tried to fight back, but the punches kept falling onto his head, over and over, until his helmet suddenly tore clean away, damaged and broken and ripped and ruined. They fought as they fell, tumbling through the sky.

 

The face of the criminal glared at him, a sickening grin as he raised a knife. Tony tried to lift his arm, tried to stop him, the last chance to defend himself. Then there was a fizzling sound, and the criminal was falling, falling, falling; down through a golden portal, which snapped shut behind him. Tony managed to right himself in the air, only a few meters from the ground, before he shot back up into the sky.

 

“Saved your pathetic life  _ again _ ,” Stephen said, sounding put out, but the worry in his face betrayed his true emotions.

 

“Yeah, well-” Tony began to retort but stopped upon spotting something racing towards the sorcerer. “Look out!”

 

Seeing that Stephen was too slow to react, that he wouldn’t get a shield up in time to deflect what he thought was a knife barreling towards them, Tony shot forward, shoving Stephen out the way. The knife slammed into Tony’s gut, slicing through his armor like butter and burying itself deep in his stomach.

 

Agony erupted from the wound, and he was falling, his repulsors off and the pain too great for him to even try and activate them. He could hear Stephen yelling something, probably his name, and the pain was just getting worse, worse, worse.

 

And then he hit the ground, and his head bashed against the concrete. He didn’t even register the pain before everything went black.

  
  


Voices floated in and out, sometimes far away, sometimes startlingly close. The inky darkness took him away sometimes, other times he could see nothing but hear the world around him passing by.

 

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he found he could open his eyes. The light of whatever room he was in was blinding, and he blinked rapidly until it slowly came into focus. The room was white, sterile and clean. 

 

He lay in a hospital bed, tubes coming out his left arm. He shifted, trying to sit up, and winced at the pain in his gut. He could feel a bandage wrapped around there, and he assumed there was probably stitches. As he looked around, he realized this was the Compound’s Medbay, and that Bruce had probably been the one to fix him up.

 

He also realized Stephen was sitting next to him, chin against his chest, asleep. And that Stephen was loosely holding Tony’s left hand between his own. Something in Tony didn’t have the heart to pull away. He did, however, reach over to gently shake the alpha, ignoring the way it pulled painfully at his wound.

 

“Strange.”

 

Stephen’s eyes slowly blinked open. “Tony?” Then it seemed to fully hit him that Tony was awake. “Tony!”

 

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” Tony said with an eye roll as he settled back into a more comfortable position on the bed.

 

“You’re awake!”

 

“No shit, Sherlock,” Tony said with another eye roll, but his heart seemed to leap at how  _ happy  _ Stephen looked as he spoke. Stephen then seemed to notice he was holding Tony’s hand between his own and started to let go, but something in Tony made him give Stephen’s hand a small squeeze. The sorcerer blinked, then slowly slid his hands back over Tony’s.

 

“How long was I out?” Tony asked, drawing Stephen’s attention away from their hands.

 

“Five days,” Stephen replied, sounding small.

 

“Five  _ days _ ?” Tony repeated, scarcely able to believe a  _ stab wound  _ had knocked him out for so long.

 

“There was… poison. On the top of the blade.” Stephen’s voice shook a little, betraying more emotion than Tony figured he would have wanted to show to him. “You died twice. Bruce barely managed to revive you the second time.”

 

“Jesus Christ,” Tony muttered. “You guys caught those dudes right? The ones we were fighting?”

 

Stephen glanced down at their hands for a second. “The leader got away.”

 

Tony sucked in a breath, about to reply, when Stephen’s comm beeped. The sorcerer drew one hand away from Tony’s to answer it. “Yes?”

 

“We’re going to strategize how to take down that last guy. You coming?” It was Steve, and Stephen let out a small sigh before replying.

 

“Be right over.” The sorcerer gave Tony an apologetic glance. “Gotta go.”

 

Tony gave the alpha a small nod. “I understand.”

 

Stephen stood up, then seemed to hesitate for a second. Then he leaned forward, pressed a soft kiss to Tony’s forehead and left the room. The omega stared after him, cursing the stab wound that stopped him from following the sorcerer. He had a million questions, starting with how and why he’d suddenly become affectionate towards Tony. 

 

But all he could do was lay there, and ignore the dull pain of his wound.

  
  


It was a couple of weeks later. Tony’s wound was finally starting to heal, though he still had to be careful. On top of that, his heat had just started,  _ and  _ they still hadn’t found and caught the leader of the criminals they’d faced. As he was having a morning coffee, feeling his heat, which was still sated, beginning to stir a little, Steve, Bucky and Natasha burst into the room. Tony raised an eyebrow at them, and Steve fixed him with a hard, serious stare.

 

“We’ve found him.”

 

“The leader of those criminals?” 

 

“That’s the one,” Steve confirmed. “He’s planning to flee the country today. We’re going to stop him.”

 

“Have fun,” Tony said, waving to them as he took another mouthful of coffee.

 

“We need  _ all  _ of the Avengers to stop him.”

 

“In case you haven’t noticed, Cap, I’m in heat. And I have this  _ delightful  _ stab wound.”

 

“Tony?” A sleepy-looking Stephen had stumbled into the kitchen, and his eyes narrowed as they landed on Steve, Bucky, and Nat.

 

“They’ve found that leader guy,” Tony said as a way of explanation.

 

“Yes, and we need all hands on deck to capture him,” Steve added, and Stephen’s eyes narrowed further; if there was one thing Tony knew for certain about Stephen, it was that he didn’t miss a thing.

 

“Tony and I cannot go with you.”

 

“We  _ need  _ you. If this guy gets away-”

 

“Tony is  _ injured _ , and in heat. He  _ needs  _ an alpha with him, and he needs to rest!”

 

“What are you, his alpha?” Steve snarled, and Stephen just looked down at the floor. Something akin to realization flashed across Natasha’s face.

 

“Oh my god,” she said quietly. “You wish you  _ were. _ ”

 

Tony nearly dropped his mug of coffee at this. Stephen? Wanting to be  _ his  _ alpha? It didn’t fit together, just as the fact that he didn’t even feel repulsed or opposed to the idea didn’t seem to fit. 

 

“I suggest you leave,” Stephen said, voice low and full of threat. Steve glanced at Tony, then back to Stephen; Natasha nudged Bucky and the two of them left. After a moment, Steve followed them.

 

“Stephen-”

 

“Don’t.” The sorcerer turned to Tony, his face emotionless. “I’ll stay with you through this heat, and then I’ll leave. You’ll never have to see me again.”

 

Tony placed down his mug of coffee and got to his feet. He winced a little as it tugged at the wound in his gut, but he ignored it, taking the few steps across the room to stand right in front of Stephen.

 

“Stephen,” he began again, his tone softer. “I don’t want you to leave.”

 

The alpha just looked saddened. “I know. You want me here for your heat. And I will, I promise.”

 

“ _ No _ ,” Tony hissed, frustrated with this dumb, idiotic sorcerer. “I don’t want you to leave.  _ Ever _ .”

 

Stephen’s eyes widened. “You…”

 

“I used to hate you. Despise you, even. And I don’t know what’s changed. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe it’s  _ everything _ . All I know is I want you to stay.” Tony kept his eyes trained on Stephen’s, waiting for his reaction.

 

Stephen swallowed. “You want…  _ me _ … to stay?”

 

His voice was so quiet, so open and vulnerable, that Tony found himself reaching up to gently cup Stephen’s cheek with a hand. It tugged at the wound again, but he ignored it once more. “I want  _ you  _ to stay. You and your stupid magic and your dumb jokes and all of your insults. I want all of it. I want  _ you _ .”

 

“As…your alpha?” Stephen sounded so uncertain as he asked the question, and Tony just gave him a small, soft smile.

 

“As my alpha,” he confirmed. Stephen smiled and leaned down to press his lips to Tony’s. And then Stephen was leading him down the hall, and they were stumbling into the bedroom and Tony’s heat spiked. And they were stripping each other of their clothes as quickly as they could, in a desperate manner.

 

It was later after Stephen had sated Tony’s heat for the moment, when they were still joined, that his lips brushed lightly over the bonding glands on Tony’s neck. The omega’s breath caught, and he pressed a little closer to Stephen if that was even possible.

 

“Is this okay?” Stephen murmured as if Tony was going to say no.

 

“ _ More  _ than okay,” Tony breathed, and Stephen pressed a gentle kiss to the bonding glands before biting down on them. Hard.

 

Tony gasped at the bit of pain that shot through him at this, but it quickly faded, and Stephen peppered his neck with soft, gentle kisses. Tony shifted his head slightly, reaching to tug on Stephen’s left hand.

 

The sorcerer complied, bringing his left wrist up to Tony’s mouth to allow the omega to bite down on the bonding glands there. Seconds later, the bond snapped into place, and Tony could feel the love and affection Stephen felt for him pouring through the bond. He smiled as Stephen nuzzled against his neck, letting his affections rush back through the bond to the alpha.

 

He wasn’t a conventional omega. But then again, his alpha wasn’t a conventional alpha, either. The way they ended up together was less than conventional, too.

 

And maybe that was okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh. My. God.
> 
> This fic took me three whole days to write- and when I say three whole days, I mean every goddamn chance I got. And by that I mean I was writing this fic in the middle of class.
> 
> And now it’s done!!! Yay!!!
> 
> Also big thanks to Star for beta reading this fic for me!!!
> 
> Yes, for once I got someone to beta read. Purely because I was so passionate about this fic turning out well.


End file.
